FROM INDUSTRY 4.0 TO THE SMART FACTORY: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN THE GERMAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
FROM INDUSTRY 4.0 TO THE SMART FACTORY: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN THE GERMAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with innovative concepts in the German car industry that range from the Industry 4.0 or IIoT (Industrial internet of Things) approach to all kinds of data generation projects or 360° network solutions. Implementing these initiatives, most manufacturers aim to develop a “smart factory” where an integrated system network is to synchronize the gathering, transmission, evaluation and visualization of data in such a way that decision makers benefit from their instant and convenient availability. Examples of practical applications are given, taken from the factories of leading car manufacturers, particularly from a press shop which is the facility where sheet metal is shaped into components that eventually form the car bodies. In all of the rendered cases, an integrated system network which is the prerequisite for the development of a smart factory safeguards permanent availability of the provided data that ideally are stored in a computer cloud and facilitate both, machine-to-machine and man-machine communication. Lately, the industry has explored ways of how to significantly accelerate data transmission, evaluation and visualization with the help of 5G technology.

• Details
• Contents